ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Informal Utilization Characteristics of Underpass Public Spaces in Megacities from the Perspective of Co-Production Theory: A Case Study of Elevated Highway Underpasses in Guangzhou

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 17 | PUBLIC SPACE

Speaker

Ms Jiaxin Qi (Tongji University)

Description

Since 2019, China has promoted the concept of "People-Centered Urban Development," emphasizing the role of public spaces as a core component. As metropolitan areas transition into a phase of incremental urban renewal, the Chinese government has repeatedly stressed the importance of urban renewal. The 2025 State Council meeting on urban renewal highlighted the need to accelerate infrastructure construction and enhance urban functions. Against this backdrop, the spaces beneath elevated highways in megacities have garnered increasing attention as potential public assets for urban renewal and adaptive reuse.

In the early stages of urban renewal, the formal redevelopment of underpass spaces is often hindered by complex property rights and the involvement of multiple administrative entities, resulting in prolonged project implementation timelines. Consequently, informal use of these spaces as public areas is a widespread phenomenon in metropolitan areas, frequently preceding formal interventions. This study employs the theory of co-production to examine multiple cases of informally utilized spaces beneath elevated highways in Guangzhou. Through field surveys, typo morphological analysis, and semi-structured interviews, this research adopts a socio-spatial perspective to identify key characteristics of the informal use of elevated highway underpasses as public spaces. The findings aim to provide insights and recommendations for the future regeneration and adaptive reuse of these spaces in megacities within the context of urban renewal.

References

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[3] Jiang, K. (2011) 'Discussion on Shanghai elevated roads', Urban Roads, Bridges & Flood Control, (11), p. 144.

[4] Liu, Y., Xu, M. and Chen, R. (2017) 'Informal development and renewal strategies of "lost spaces" under interchanges: A case study of Yanggongqiao Interchange in Chongqing', Journal of Human Settlements in West China, 32(5), pp. 42-51. doi:10.13791/j.cnki.hsfwest.20170507.

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